391 Kilburn High Road,
London,
NW6 7QE
(020) 7604 3333
The ViewLondon Review
A simple concept that works well enough: pizza – and lots of it – cooked in a wood burning oven.
The Venue
Wood Oven Pizza is a simple little restaurant with a certain easygoing charm. Rows of sandwiched-in tables make up most of the seating and mean it’s important that anyone dining here doesn’t mind the company of strangers and aren’t going to be discussing any secrets over dinner. Still, the simple wooden tables, free of embellishment, are kept clean and polished, and the wood burning oven is clearly evident, which is a nice touch. The simple, neutral colour scheme is ruined somewhat by a large laminate picture of a pizza overhead, which borders on tacky.
The Atmosphere
Wood Oven Pizza is definitely a place for convenient dining – you get the feeling that most people are stopping in on the way to the cinema or pub. Still, the atmosphere is most definitely upbeat, probably aided by the almost communal nature of the dining. The only issue is that service can be slow at times with the wait for pizza slightly longer than expected – not good if you have somewhere else to be afterwards but not really too big an issue if you have a couple of hours to kill over dinner.
The Food
When here, it’s probably a good idea to order an, erm, wood oven pizza. The pasta doesn’t really inspire and salad? That’s for wimps. The pizza menu is lengthy and prices are reasonable with the small 11” pizzas all coming in at well under a tenner each whilst the 18” versions rarely touch the £15 mark. The Napolitana is a rich, flavoursome example of what they can do, bringing together mozzerella, black olives, capers, anchovies and egg on a base that could be accused of being a slightly soggy. Luckily, the generous helping of toppings bring such an intense flavour (thanks to the tartness of the olives, capers and anchovies balancing with the richness of the eggs and creaminess of the mozzarella), that you’ll barely notice a lack of crispness in the base.
The Drink
Coca Cola, Fanta, 7 Up, Pepsi… what do you mean is that all? There are two different types of coke on that menu. If fizzy drinks aren’t your thing then iced tea, water and juice finish up the selection with most drinks priced at the £1-£2 mark.
The Last Word
Wood Oven Pizza does exactly what it says on the tin. Relatively well.
Wood Oven Pizza has been reviewed by 1 users